Thanksgiving on the Ranch
by butterfly collective
Summary: This story takes place several weeks after "A Circle of Women" as C.J. and Matt spend Thanksgiving with their friends. Just borrowing the characters for fun.
1. Chapter 1

This story is part one of a two-parter holiday story that takes place several weeks after "A Circle of Women", hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading and the feedback!

* * *

C.J. woke up early in the morning and tried to remember where she was, and what met her gaze were the familiar surroundings of the guestroom where she had been staying, with her fiancée of a couple of months who lay asleep beside her. She smiled as she remembered how they had arrived late to the ranch after landing the Lear Jet at the nearest airport and then renting a durable car to get them to where they were spending Thanksgiving.

They had arrived with Chris, her husband Dan and their baby Daniel and Butterfly who had flown with them and only an hour or so after Jonathan and Rhonda had flown up from Dallas. The house had been bustling with activity since then, with a late night dinner of some of Thea's most delicious soup, which had filled them all up nicely.

The really serious eating would be during Thanksgiving Day dinner. All the women would be congregating in the kitchen handling the serious cooking chores while the men would be handling the ranching chores. If they got done early, there might be time for a touch up game of football though C.J. had warned former college all state player Matt to go easy on them. Butterfly wanted to try out some new dessert recipes she had picked up from the Food Channel and Thea had recruited her to help out with the apple, pumpkin and pecan pies.

Bonnie and Jed would be dropping on by with their adopted son, William whose parents had been killed in a car accident leaving him an orphan only several months earlier not long after Jed had been elected county sheriff. So the house would be filled with people from different families who would come together as one.

It would be a nice change of pace, C.J. thought, after the rigors of the past month, which had started when she, Chris and Fran had been held hostage during a botched bank robbery in Houston. That had been where Chris had given birth to Daniel with C.J. and another woman, Alex Walker serving as midwives. Since then, C.J. had been dividing her time between working, supervising the remodeling of their new house outside of the city and doing all this while experiencing the earlier stages of pregnancy. She had been trying to get extra rest to handle the fatigue and the morning sickness…well that had to be dealt with as well.

Matt had been working hard with Dan on their security company and doing some investigations on the side including some involving C.J.'s own caseload. But he took the time to take care of her, making sure she had plenty of rest and relaxation despite her busy schedule. They had gotten together often with their neighbor, Cattle Annie who had been a close friend of Matt and his family after having delivered him as a baby after his mother had gotten into a car accident.

Life looked very good for both of them as they looked forward to the birth of their first child, not to mention the planning of their December wedding, which had taken on a life of its own once her friends got involved. Not that Matt didn't try to persuade her into running down to City Hall in Houston to make it legal but she so much wanted to be married when they had finished their new home.

She felt him stirring next to her and open his eyes, to find her smiling at him.

"Good morning…"

"Why good morning to you," she said, "How'd you sleep?"

"Better than I thought I would," he said, "How about you?"

"I was out like a light," she said, "but wow how much difference a good night's sleep can make."

"We got in late plus it's been a busy week," he said, sitting up, "You feeling okay this morning?"

She thought about it, but she didn't feel the familiar nausea.

"I feel great…like I can actually eat breakfast."

He leaned over to kiss her and she wrapped her arms around him to bring him closer, relieved to leave the hectic nature of the past few weeks behind them at least for a little while. Then she released him to jump out of bed.

"Where you going," he asked.

She smiled and tossed his robe to him on the bed, while putting on her own.

"You need to get dressed cowboy, you got chores to do," she said, "and I've got kitchen duty."

He watched as she headed out of the room to shower before putting it on not even trying to rein in his wife to be this morning.

* * *

C.J. walked in to the kitchen dressed in some jeans and a sweater, to find Thea just finishing the last of the eggs and bacon and that Chris and Dan had beaten her to the table. Butterfly wandered around with a piece of bacon in one hand and her ever present camcorder in the other. Chris just looked at her shaking her head.

"Butterfly will you put that down a sec and come and eat your breakfast?"

The teenager just shot her one of those rebellious looks.

"Someone's got to have the artistic vision to capture the true essence of Thanksgiving," she said, "and given that the older generation has gotten so jaded and serious, then that has to be people like me."

C.J. watched her as she poured herself some juice and went to get some eggs.

"Where's Matt," Chris asked.

"He's up…he's been really tired," C.J. said, "I think it's been all the traveling he'd been doing for a while…including getting his firm in L.A. all straightened out."

"He's done with most of that now," Chris said, "And it's in great hands with Brody."

"I know that," C.J. said, "but I think I'm going to have to force him to take a break…and I'm going to need your help Dan."

They all knew that she had been worried about what had happened almost exactly one year ago when Matt had worked himself into exhaustion and had contracted a virulent strain of pneumonia, his second flirtation with death in the past year. And C.J. didn't want a repeat of that experience.

"C.J. you're working some serious hours yourself," Chris pointed out, "thought at least that situation with Alisha worked out pretty well."

C.J. nodded as she ate her eggs, because she had talked to the young woman before coming here and she seemed to be doing very well in her placement though she remained ambivalent about her baby sticking to her adoption plans.

"I'm going on maternity leave in the last month until several months after the baby's born," she said, "so I'm going to need to get a lot of my caseload sorted out and it's not going to be easy."

No, it never was, she thought with some of the difficult challenges she had faced, not to mention the trial dates that always loomed over her head. The federal judge on the main case had been losing patience with all the defense's requests for continuances and was starting to take a sterner stance which mean that C.J. could be back on the stand to testify within a couple of months.

Not that she really wanted to think about that right now but she hoped to put that chapter of her life behind her before her baby arrived. She got up to wash her dishes in the sink when Matt wandered in, still wearing his five o clock stubble in jeans and his Rice University sweatshirt.

"Any eggs left over?"

Dan nodded.

"Even made you an omelet," he said, "but your woman along with my woman are going to gang up on us and kick us out of the kitchen."

Butterfly piped in.

"And I'm going to film it all and put it up on YouTube."

Four faces turned to look at her and she made a face putting her camera down.

"Well maybe I won't do that right away…"

Matt went to where C.J. stood and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, kissing that tickly spot on the back of her neck. She turned around to smile before she kissed him on the mouth.

"I made sure they left you some breakfast…a woman's got to look out for her man in this rough and tumble world."

Jed walked up to them with his arms folded.

"Okay I've got some yearlings loose on the south meadow," he said, "I'm going to need a couple of you to saddle up and help me go bring them on back."

Matt nodded.

"Count me in…"

Dan looked a little uncertain.

"Look I used to be a cop but the only horse power I rode was a squad car," he said.

Chris patted her husband's shoulder.

"Jed's an ex-cop and he didn't let that stop him," she said, "Go do us proud honey, we'll be waiting."

Dan sighed good naturedly.

"And if I get bucked off the horse?"

C.J. smiled at him.

"Take Sienna, she's a nice mount," she said, "Smarter than most people, she'll take good care of you."

Jonathan joined them all dressed up and ready to go in his ranching gear.

"Yeah take her…I'll ride Bourbon."

Chris kissed her husband.

"There it's all settled," she said, "Now run along while we women hold the fort and do the really important work."

Jed nodded, all about efficiency.

"Let's go on then…"

Rhonda grabbed a piece of toast after the men left to go riding and C.J. thought she looked a little green.

"Feeling under the weather," she asked good naturedly.

Rhonda just shot her a look.

"Don't even ask me that question that's on your mind," she said, "and keep those eggs away…far away from me."

Thea walked over to her and put her arm around Rhonda.

"I can make you some cereal and some weak tea…"

Rhonda just looked grateful while the others just looked at her. She turned at them and tried to scowl but instead she smiled.

"Oh and case you didn't know it, I'm pregnant."

They all exuded joy as they surrounded her to congratulate her and to fuss a bit.

"Okay, okay…I admit it wasn't planned," she said, sheepishly, "One of Jonathan's swimmers got through…oops I didn't mean it that way Thea."'

But the older woman hardly minded, overjoyed with news about her first grandchild, they all had a celebratory round of orange juice, with Butterfly filming the whole thing.

* * *

Matt pushed against the leaning fence. He and Jonathan had been assigned to repair it while Dan had gone with Jed and other ranch hands to round up the loose yearlings. He and Jonathan had ripped off the rotted pieces of fencing after testing to make sure that the postings were strong, and then they worked to hoist up the new fencing and Matt held it, while Jonathan hammered those nails in where they held the pieces together fast.

The two men had developed a friendship of sorts in the past year or so, having in common love for the same woman. Jonathan had been C.J.'s boyfriend while she had been in law school and for a while afterward, and during that time Jonathan had felt threatened by her friendship with Matt even as he tried not to show it. Most of the time he had been successful but other times…well there had been some arguments over it though Jonathan's relationship with C.J. had ended mostly for other reasons. But when Matt had been traveling the world, C.J. had called on Jonathan from a pay phone in the middle of Washington state to help her and her ex-boyfriend had responded with everything he had in his arsenal. Matt really felt he owed him for doing that but Jonathan had just responded by saying that he had just been doing his job.

"Do you think Dan's going to be able to handle working with Jed?"

Matt looked up at Jonathan. Both men had grown up on working ranches and didn't know any other way of life until they had gotten older and both had left home.

"Dan's a city kid but he learns quickly," he said, "still he'll probably be sore tomorrow."

Jonathan remained silent for a moment.

"You know even though I work with the FBI now, I still got contact in my old agency…"

Matt looked over at him, knowing that he had been keeping tabs on the progression of the case involving C.J. that had wrapped up her life for over a year now.

"You heard anything…because we hadn't…just delays and more delays…"

Jonathan nodded.

"Some defendants made deals…but two are going to trial and they've used up all of their continuances," Jonathan said, "They're looking at a trial within the next month or so…these guys are not going to take a deal…I guess they're waiting for some avenging angel to come rescue them."

"There's no honor among these types of thugs," Matt said, "No one's going to save anyone else."

Jonathan agreed.

"But this trial as you know is going to be a major undertaking…the most complicated of its kind ever done and C.J.'s one of the primary witnesses."

Matt knew that meant she would be spending a lot of time on the witness stand, essentially reliving what happened to her, having her own perspective filtered down by answering questions from the prosecution and defense. And even with stringent rules involving trial procedure, the interrogation by the defendants' attorneys would get very rough. After all, two men were on trial for their lives.

"How much notice will she get about the trial date?"

"A week or so…depending…it could happen very quickly at this point."

Matt ran his hand through his hair.

"I wish they would have pleaded out like the others," he said, "and spared her having to testify at a trial."

Jonathan shrugged.

"Me too…but it's their right under the constitution and the law to take it to trial if they choose."

Matt lifted up the fencing again so Jonathan could hammer it.

"She's worked so hard to rebuild her life after what's happened," Matt said, "even the interviews with the prosecutors, the grand juries…each time it's like having an old wound be ripped open again."

Jonathan sighed.

"I know it's hard watching her go through this but they're going to go to prison for a very long time," he said, "They're so close to nailing them."

"Not close enough…they deserve the death penalty for what they did to her and those other women," Matt said, "even…"

He didn't finish but Jonathan nodded, understanding fully. The act of betrayal came in different forms and Matt had seen his share of it in his lifetime including through his investigative work. Matt wished he could have killed both men himself if it would have spared C.J. any more pain but then again, a part of him realized that facing them in court and telling what had happened to her to help put them both away might have its own advantages like helping her to heal.

"Matt they will get convicted and they will go away for the rest of their lives."

They continued working and Matt thought back to the days when C.J. and him had been on the run, hiding out in various places until the day came when they could put an end to it and return home. Only to discover that their journey had just begun, because if she had to struggle to find her way back then he would be right there with her the entire way. He couldn't even imagine otherwise, even though the past year had been arduous, filled with both happiness and tears.

They had both come so far since then but each step taken had been bittersweet, with immense beauty and searing pain intermixed but they made it to where they would soon be married and parents for the first time. The reality of both so humbled him at times that he marveled at life's miracles, that they would have survived at all let alone have received life's blessings.

* * *

C.J. walked over to where Rhonda had been stirring the potatoes trying to make them look like she had always remembered them looking but like C.J., Rhonda had been a little culinary challenged. C.J. had been working on the stuffing, putting the ingredients together, so they meshed into a final product that would be delicious alongside the roasted turkey.

"Hey it's going to be okay," C.J. said, "No one here except maybe Thea and Chris have any idea what they're doing…okay well maybe Butterfly because her pies are incredible…but hey, at least if it turned out terrible, we'd still all be together."

Rhonda nodded gamely and then she wiped her eyes. C.J. looked at her concerned, because Rhonda hardly if ever cried.

"What's the matter?"

The other woman just shrugged.

"Nothing…"

"It doesn't sound like nothing," C.J. noted, "Is it the baby?"

"No…yes…I don't know how Jonathan feels about it," Rhonda said, "I told him and he said all the right things but…"

"Because it wasn't planned, you think he's disappointed?"

Rhonda just nodded slightly, wiping her eyes after C.J. handed her a napkin.

"We weren't planning on having kids until down the line," she said, "He's just started working for the FBI…he's gone a lot and this new job I have is great…but I'll have to leave it in a few months…and then the new house…new city…"

C.J. sensed a meltdown coming so she just wrapped her arm around her friend and sat her down in a chair.

"Oh it's going to be just fine," she said, "You've just got a lot on your plate, and you're probably tired from all these changes with your body."

"I used something…he did…we both thought we were protected."

C.J. smiled, shaking her head.

"Hey, you're looking at someone who did all that and still got knocked up before the wedding," she said, "I was a little scared too…like was I ready…was he ready…how were we going to handle our new careers and now parenthood…plus a new house that's not even finished yet."

Rhonda calmed down and her eyes widened.

"Wow your life is a mess…and here I am complaining…"

C.J. just smiled again.

"After the bank siege was the first time I really had time to sit down with Houston and talk to him about everything," she said, "I didn't know how he would handle it but he was very happy and he told me not to worry about a thing because he would be right there with me and he has been…I'm so happy even with this crazy life and I think you'll find that true for yourself as well…if you give yourself a chance."

Rhonda digested this while wiping her eyes.

"But Matt's an easy going guy who rolls with the punches…Jonathan's not like that really…oh he can relax and handle things…but he's very methodical and exact too…guess that's what happens when you work for bureaucrats."

"Jonathan may be different than Houston but he loves you very much and I know that deep down he's very happy and he'll be there for you all the way…he's like that and I know and so do you."

"Yeah…I do know that. That's one of the reasons I married him."

C.J. nodded.

"So there you have it," she said, "but you need to talk to him, tell him how you feel okay? Let him in as your partner."

"Will do…and thanks…"

She embraced C.J. tightly and C.J. knew before they both returned to tackling their food preparation.

* * *

Matt brought the gelding into the barn after he and Jonathan had finished with the fencing. After unsaddling and brushing the horse down, he led him back to his stall to finish munching on some alfalfa. He thought about what Jonathan had just told him, about the trial date that might be looming. It even looked like the trial might be scheduled close to their wedding date.

Naturally he had wanted to marry her right after they proposed, but since it had been during Hurricane Gracie inside the penthouse suite on top of a skyscraper; ministers available to do weddings had been in short supply. Besides, she had wanted to have her friends and family at the wedding and have it done after their new house would be ready for them. She had worried some if her figure would start really changing before the wedding so her dress would have to be altered and he told her she'd look beautiful in anything or nothing which would be an option to consider if her dress didn't fit. She had just rolled her eyes at him and said she would consider it if when he did but an au natural bride and groom might be more than their guests could handle

Damn, he wondered what she was doing now and decided to text her to find out. A minute later, he received a text that she had just finished the stuffing and would then be taking a short rest as ordered by Thea who had already sent Rhonda to take a nap.

Matt's mouth quirked into a smile as he texted her back about how much he missed her and maybe she could just pop into the barn for a moment. He waited for her to text back a response and kept waiting…and waiting…and waiting…

"Hey cowboy, I thought I'd find you here…"

He turned around and blinked as he saw her standing by the doorway with her arms folded.

"I thought you'd hung up on me back there."

She just shook her head at him.

"And pass up an opportunity like this," she said, "After all, I remember what happened the last time we were here."

Oh yeah, when they had been caught in a rain shower and forced to take shelter here with their picnic. They had moved their spread of food up to the loft but then she had laid a kiss on him that nearly smoked him out of his socks. They had been heavy duty making out like teenagers when they were interrupted by Butterfly and her then crush Carter who apparently had the same idea.

"Yeah…you almost passed out in my arms when you saw Butterfly buss Carter."

She sighed at the memory.

"I saw myself back at that age with Brick…I know what it's like at that age and that Butterfly's got a good head on her shoulders but…"

"You were still worried about her…like a mother."

She bit her lip.

"What if we have a daughter and she grows up…"

"To be beautiful like her mom so she has to beat the fellows off with a stick…"

C.J. chuckled.

"At that age she won't want to," she said, "I remember what that was like too."

Matt caressed her face, stroking her mouth gently with his fingers. She hadn't even noticed when he had moved close enough to do that, the guy was smooth.

"You're going to make a wonderful mother," he said, "and I know kids don't come with manuals but we're going to figure it out as we go along."

She nodded.

"I know that…it's just so overwhelming at times what's ahead…but it's wonderful too."

"Couldn't agree with you more," he said, "but that's not why I called you out here."

Her brow arched and she looked at him amused.

"Oh it's not, is it?"

"No, I had something else on my mind entirely," he said, "We've both got a little time between holiday responsibilities so I thought we'd make the most of it."

Damn his fingers felt good on her face, and then on the side of her neck…goose pimple time.

"You brought me out here to seduce me…it's a bit cliché Houston to pick a barn as the site."

Matt shrugged.

"I had to work with what I had…now come here," he said, "Before we use up all our time talking about the semantics of seduction which isn't as much fun."

She agreed that it wasn't and so she tilted her head at him.

"Okay so what do you propose instead?"

He answered by framing her face in his hands and kissing her softly on the lips, probing them gently before taking her murmurs as encouragement to continue. Then while she struggled to breathe again after the release, he took her hand.

"Let's move this upstairs…"

Oh she was so up to that and when she reached the loft, she saw that he had been up earlier.

"Houston…I can tell I'm going to have to keep my eye on you…"

He waggled his eyes at her, in the way that heated up her insides and pulled her closer for the kiss. While kissing this time, they fiddled with each other's clothes, relieved not to have to be dealing with buttons on either side this time. His eyes widened after her sweater came off.

"You wore it…"

She laughed at him, as he eyed his favorite black camisole.

"Wait a minute…did you plan this or did I?"

"Does it matter," she said a smile on her face as she ran her finger across his chest.

No, he decided a moment later, it didn't make any difference at all not as long as they were both in the same place.


	2. Chapter 2

Another update is up, and well this might be a three-parter, lol…hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading and the feedback.

* * *

C.J. propped herself up on an elbow while looking at Matt who just lay on his back looking at the ceiling, the blanket draped over part of him.

"What you doing," she said, "You're tired already?"

He looked at her and then leaned closer for the kiss.

"Well no, actually I was thinking about you."

She returned his kiss eagerly and he pulled over closer on top of him.

"That so…well I can more than keep pace with you…"

Matt couldn't argue with that, no not at all, stroking her back thoughtfully as she cuddled closer to him, listening to his heart beat somewhat faster than it normally did.

"So how are we hiding out from our responsibilities up here?"

He tightened his hold on her.

"As long as we can get away with it…how long do you think it will take for anyone to notice we're even missing?"

He grew thoughtful.

"A while…we're just supporting players in this Thanksgiving Day…in a large cast."

She smiled against him.

"Thank goodness," she said, "Because I kind of like this…time spent with you away from everything else."

He knew her mind had been on the pending case which had dominated so much of her life, their lives for so long. Like him, she just wanted it to be over and done with so they could move on but for her, much harder than just saying it. She had to relive it again.

"Yeah it's been nice…"

Then both of them heard footsteps coming from below, was someone coming in the barn looking for them and if so, what would they do?

"What's that," C.J. whispered.

"Maybe it's someone checking on the horses…"

"Maybe they've sent out search and rescue for us already."

"Too soon for that," Matt said, "Don't worry about what's down here because we're up here."

She listened for more sounds and then she heard two voices.

"Carter…why'd you come out here with me," a familiar voice said.

Matt and C.J. looked at each other. Butterfly, what was she doing in the barn and with Carter? Oh to both of them it felt awfully familiar…very much so…the last time they had all been in the barn…only Matt and C.J. had been wearing a little more clothing then than now.

"Butterfly…it's just that we've not seen each other in so long…"

"It's been a year Carter and you never even called me," Butterfly reasoned, "Just those posts on my Face Book page to come and visit you."

Carter hemmed, both Matt and C.J. could hear him all the way up here and C.J. was so close to just throwing on some clothing and walking on down there to have a talk with the two of them. Matt knew that and tightened his hold on her as they both lay there listening.

"Butterfly…I still…like you very much…"

"How much Carter," she said, "because you've been keeping it to yourself."

"I know I acted like a jerk…I'm sorry Butterfly…but I'll make up for it…"

C.J. sat there wondering how he proposed to do that and stumbled over the more obvious ways.

"You told me I was a nice girl…but too young for you…"

"I might have been wrong about that…you've really been on my mind…"

"Oh yeah right," she said, "I haven't heard diddly squat from you because I've been on your mind?"

Matt turned to look at C.J.

"The girl's gotten smart."

"Houston…she's always been like that…I just don't think she believed in it."

Carter seemed intent on pushing the issue and something clearly had started between the two of them because it had gotten quieter. C.J. wrapped herself in her blanket and moved closer to where she could see what happened. Matt just watched her with a sigh, recognizing the more maternal side that she kept hidden most of the time.

"Carter…at least you still know how to kiss a girl…"

He stroked her curly hair that had grown into a darker brown now that she had stopped dying it different colors.

"I know how to do a lot of things…"

C.J. looked over at Matt.

"I can't believe guys still use that line…"

He smiled.

"And some women still go for it too…as your condition can attest…"

She rolled her eyes at him and then tried to decide what to do next…if Chris knew what was taking place, she would definitely have something to say about it.

"Houston…"

Then another sound filled the air, sounding a lot like a scream. C.J. wondered what had happened now and was about to go down and confront them especially if Carter had been mistreating Butterfly but then the tones of the screaming changed.

"What the…"

"Oh Butterfly…we're going to have to move…very slowly…don't want them to go off and do something…"

"There's more than one…there's a whole family of them…they'd be almost cute except…"

"Butterfly just follow my lead and I'll get you out of here…safely."

C.J. heard the girl short.

"They're just skunks Carter, not rattlesnakes…or bears…"

"Butterfly, have you ever been hit by one…I have and it's the hardest smell to get rid of…and there's an army of them…no we'd better get out of here."

"No…I want to film them," she said, "to put up on YouTube."

"Come on Butterfly…trust me you don't want to agitate them…"

Butterfly sighed.

"Okay…I'll leave but you'd better stop bossing me around…"

C.J. had to smile at that as she heard them leave the barn.

"Another parental crisis averted…"

Of course that left the issue of the skunks wandering around just below them, seemingly not in a hurry to go anywhere. Maybe they lived in some dark corner or cubby hole inside the barn but how would she and Matt get past them without getting sprayed? She didn't think that getting hit by skunk spray would be good for her developing baby. At any rate, it would give their child some less than subtle hints of what might be awaiting them in the new world that awaited him or her.

"C.J…what's the matter…"

"Skunks Houston…a whole family of them…right below us…"

He crept over to where she watched them.

"They're awful cute…look a family."

She sighed.

"I guess we're going to be up here a while longer than planned…unless one of us goes down there and diverts their attention."

He looked at her, his eyes widening.

"I don't think so…if we wait a while longer; I'm sure they'll get bored and wander back where they came from."

"But we're supposed to be inside and I've got to check on the stuffing…"

He wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her closer.

"What's the rush…we've got some nonalcoholic wine that I pilfered and some snack food…"

Oh that he did, at least.

"And we've been marooned longer than this and didn't suffer for it…as I recall it was quite memorable…"

She sighed happily.

"Yeah…well that's where we made Gracie…"

He looked at her suddenly.

"Whose Gracie, wasn't that the name of the hurricane?"

She nodded.

"That's what her name will be…when she's born."

He looked at her, hearing the resolution in her voice.

"She could be a he…"

"I know…but if the baby is a girl, it's the perfect name for her don't you think…and Elizabeth for your mama."

He felt moisture in his eyes he didn't feel coming but he nodded in agreement.

"Okay…but we better have some boys names ready just in case."

"Sure…but I don't know…I think our first one's going to be a girl…"

He thought about it.

"Ah, with curly dark hair and…"

"Your eyes…"

He felt almost taken aback at her certainty about that, but he had seen it too during times of crisis, the little girl whose identity had been a mystery for so long. Maybe the questions that he had about half-remembered dreams and hallucinations would be answered soon. He knew for sure he couldn't wait to meet their baby and to see her the first time in living flesh.

He kissed her then and she wrapped her arms around him and below them the skunks settled down in a cluster for a nap.

* * *

Chris looked up as Butterfly came in, looking a little flustered.

"What's wrong," she asked, her intuition kicking into gear.

"Oh…nothing…"

Butterfly just walked on by and Chris tried again.

"Where were you just now?"

The younger girl sighed.

"Out…"

"Out where…"

"Nowhere in particular…"

"Out with Carter, because he came in a few minutes ago wearing the same expression you are now."

Butterfly just walked over to check on her pies, which had been done and left to cool on a table. She frowned at Chris telling herself she had gotten her act together and organized and gotten her food done and ready to be served while the adults were still scrambling around.

"Where are C.J. and Matt?"

Chris looked over at her from where she had decided to check on the potatoes.

"I don't know…maybe she's taking her nap," Chris said, "Rhonda just awoke from hers and feels so much better."

"Why'd she and C.J. have to take naps, they're just pregnant."

Chris smiled.

"You'll understand when it's your turn…oh god did I just say that…not that will happen anytime soon okay?"

"Sure Chris…"

"You've got plenty of time to be a mother…way down the road…"

Butterfly made a face.

"Oh I'm not interested in having kids certainly not now…they'll just get in the way of my movie making career."

Chris sighed in relief then, well almost.

"You know Carter's a nice guy but you're awfully young…"

Butterfly rolled her eyes now.

"No I didn't have sex with him in the barn," she said, "Not that I didn't think about it but he's yesterday's news…and I've moved on…any more questions?"

Chris just looked at her speechless.

"What…"

"No, I'm not going to wind up unmarried and pregnant like some older people we both know."

Chris felt irritation fill her.

"Now Butterfly, Matt and C.J. are engaged to be married and they will next month…these things just happen…and in their case it's a blessed event."

Butterfly grew thoughtful.

"Do you ever get mad at them?"

Now Chris felt bewildered.

"Angry, what on earth for," she asked.

Butterfly paused.

"Because you had to try so hard to get pregnant with Daniel…and they do that without even trying…"

"Butterfly…"

"Okay… they still had to get it on…but you know what I mean."

Yes, she did, Chris thought, but real life just didn't work out the same for everyone and Butterfly had to learn to accept that and be happy for the blessings that it did send you.

"Well they've had it much harder in ways that I never came close to facing…you know that…"

Butterfly bit her lip and nodded.

"I know and it's not over yet is it?"

Chris listened to the younger girl's words and knew she was right, as she hugged her closer.

* * *

Matt and C.J. both sat wrapped around by the comforter, their backs against the wall.

"How deeply do skunks sleep," she asked.

Matt had no idea.

"Don't even know how long they sleep," he said, "but it's been an hour."

"Could be worse…"

He looked at her.

"A lot worse…besides it gives us an excuse to spend some quality time together."

She nodded and rubbed her eyes.

"I needed this so much," she said, "I know this time there's going to be a trial..and I'll be testifying."

Matt nodded, not knowing what else to say after his earlier conversation with Jonathan.

"It's going to be okay," he said, "I'll be there in the audience and you're going to have people helping you."

"I know but after what just happened…you know there are still things I don't remember…which we were just served a reminder…"

He sighed, remembering those anxious days as much as she did…a reminder of how even when things appeared to be moving smoothly, a gale force wind could still knock you overboard.

"The part with Andre, I think I can talk about…I've done that so many times already and this time...maybe it will make a difference."

"All those other times were steps to get to this time," he said, "It's all made a difference…"

She sighed knowing it had been a long journey for her…for both of them and that maybe she might find as much closure to it as she could before her baby's birth.

But the thought of what lie ahead still remained heavily on her mind as they both remained trapped in the loft together at the mercy of a family of slumbering skunks.


	3. Chapter 3

This FF story is finished, hoped you enjoyed it and thanks for reading and the feedback!

* * *

C.J. peeked over the edge of the loft and saw the skunks still snoring in one huge pile underneath the ladder, right where they would step if they were foolish enough to try and come down.

"They look so peaceful don't they?"

Matt agreed, as long as the critters stayed asleep.

"If we go down there and we startle the nest of them, we'll get a full dose."

She knew that and she knew he didn't want her inhaling the noxious fumes due to her pregnancy. No one knew if a fetus could be harmed by its mother inhaling skunk perfume but maybe they shouldn't take any chances.

"Maybe we could call someone…on your phone."

Matt sighed.

"I left it in the bedroom…what about your phone?"

She ran her hand through her hair.

"I think I left it too."

So they were truly trapped up in the barn loft with no means to communicate. He had offered to sacrifice himself by going down and diverting the skunks' attentions which would mean he'd get sprayed but she vetoed that one quickly. She wasn't sharing her bed with him if that happened and it proved too difficult to remove the smell.

"Houston…I'm fine…you're fine and we've got some snack food left…"

He stroked her hair off of her face.

"I could spend the whole afternoon with you up here," he said, "and not complain but if the others think we're missing, they might worry."

"They might send out a search party that might hit the barn."

He sat down and drew her close to him.

"That might take a while so why don't we pass the time together?"

* * *

Chris looked around the kitchen where Butterfly sat keeping one eye on her cooling pies and another on her camera where she examined some footage she had taken. Chris looked over her shoulder.

"What are those?"

Butterfly smiled and rolled her eyes at Chris.

"They're skunks, what else do they look like?"

"They live in the barn?"

Butterfly nodded.

"A whole family of them even babies," she said, "Aren't they cute?"

Chris grimaced.

"Until they spray you," she said, "I had a dog growing up who got sprayed by a skunk and stunk up the house."

Jed came by along with Dan.

"Everything's battened down," he said, "How's the dinner coming along?"

Chris looked up at him.

"Nearly finished…C.J.'s stuffing was waiting for her but no one's seen her or Matt for a while now."

Dan smiled after kissing his wife.

"They're probably off by themselves somewhere," he said, "You know how they are with each other."

Chris shrugged.

"You're right…we'll be lucky if they surface in time for dinner…I guess I'd better go check on Daniel."

Dan put his arm around her shoulder.

"I'll go with you darling."

Butterfly watched them go and shook her head at the strange behavior of adults. If she had wandered off somewhere to lip lock with some guy, and didn't turn up by dinner time, she'd have a posse sent after her. Then when she turned up, would come the lecture and then the grounding. But Matt and C.J. wander off to do that, and then the attitude was more nonchalant. Life was just filled with these double standards, she discovered, not that she really wanted to hang around Carter. She had pretty much written him off when she had been back in Texas, never hearing from him and then he comes onto her in the barn as if he wanted to pick up where they left off.

Maybe she should just forget about guys for a while until they straightened themselves out and just focus on her movie making instead. She thought that sounded like a plan as she left the kitchen.

* * *

C.J. lay back on the blanket where naturally they had wound up again, after he kissed her and one thing led to another like it usually did. After all, how could she had wound up in this condition otherwise? Matt had drifted off, snoring softly but he had been tired, been working very hard in the past few months. He would have been working even harder if she hadn't put her foot down fearful that he might take sick again like he had the previous Thanksgiving.

She had spent a nerve wracking night sitting by his bedside after flying in as quickly as she could find an empty seat on the plane. Before she had gotten the phone call from Roy at the hospital, she hadn't been sure she would be flying in for the holiday, her therapy had left her feeling so raw, which meant she didn't want to be around anyone. Chris and Dan had invited her along with Rhonda but she had hedged on actually going to their house for the holiday. While trying to make the final decision, she had gotten the call that Matt lay deathly ill beneath an oxygen tent from some virulent pneumonia.

After catching a shuttle from the airport to the hospital, she had just dropped her luggage in the ICU waiting room and spent every minute of the precious allotment of time she had been afforded each hour that passed that he survived. They had pumped his body so full of medicine including antibiotics but it didn't seem at first he would respond. But she had taken his ashen hand in her own and had squeezed it so he would know she held onto him tightly.

By morning, his fever had broken and it had been Thanksgiving so she had stayed with him when he awoke seeing her there and his eyes had widened, surprised. As if she would ever have been anywhere else. She stayed as long as she could by his side, seriously she had but the fear she harbored towards L.A. and the memories stored there had been overwhelming, and she came close to losing her own breath.

Now a year later, he lay asleep, his breathing coming so much easier. The year since then had been arduous and tough but it had brought them together as a family, the two of them bonded together to be joined by their first child. She had been surprised that she had flunked a pregnancy test when he had been out of town on business and she had to survive a 72 hour bank hostage crisis to be able to share the good news with him.

Matt stirred next to her and he reached his hand up to stroke her shoulder, the one that bore the tattoo she had gotten to cover the scar.

"I fall asleep again?"

She chuckled.

"You wore yourself out again," she said, "Seriously; you need to stock up on that energy by the time the baby arrives."

"If he's anything like his mother, most definitely."

She smiled at him, the man with the endless endurance and strength who had her rock every much as she had been his when he had needed it.

And she still needed that strength with the trial looming ahead…the time for her to tell her story. The testimony was expected to take several days including cross-examination and Matt and she had discussions with the prosecutors about it on every aspect ranging from security from any threats to keeping a pregnant woman comfortable. Before he fell asleep, he had told her that the trial date might be as early as next month possibly around their wedding date.

"Do you want to change it?"

She thought about it and shook her head.

"It will be fine Houston," she said, "We'll be fine…we can fit the honeymoon around it if necessary."

They had planned to spend at least part of it in the Caribbean island where they had stayed for a period of time and had made lifelong friends. Then during the New Year's holiday they would fly to Colorado to do some time on this ranch. The weather would be freezing, the climate horrendous but they didn't plan to spend much time outside of the guest house anyway.

But she hoped that the happiness of her wedding day, the one long awaited to the man who had waited for her would carry her through the arduous conditions of testifying about the most painful chapter in her life and that she would be able to unwind afterwards with her husband.

She couldn't wait for it all to be over with, the men to be put away for life and for her to start her married life with Matt as they awaited the birth of their baby. She lay down putting her head on his chest where he stroked her hair.

"I can't wait for the honeymoon…"

She chuckled at him.

"I love you Houston…"

He threaded his fingers through her soft hair.

"I love you too sweetheart…"

* * *

They got dressed after they looked one more time and didn't see any signs of the skunks and after she buttoned herself up and he pulled on his boots, he helped her down the ladder, and together they returned into the house.

When they entered, they thought everyone would fire questions at them about where they had been all this time but Chris just rolled her eyes at her and told her the stuffing was awaiting its final preparations. So that's what C.J. focused on as they all made the final preparations for the sumptuous dinner that would bring them all together as one big family.


End file.
